Any Boardgamers out there?

Bill_Abner · Post by **Bill_Abner** » Wed Jan 18, 2006 11:02 am

I know Danimal is, but I was curious if anyone else is a boardgame fan. If so, I'm looking for some recommendations for good 3-4 player games that don't take 6 hours to finish.

Dan suggested Dungeon Twister which I'm getting as a 2-player game and I bought the Gullotine card game which is a blast as a 2-player game but my weekly group is looking for a new game as we're burning out on Pirate's Cove and Settlers of Catan. Anyone?

webdanzer · Post by **webdanzer** » Wed Jan 18, 2006 11:32 am

I know Gurantsu is, as we've had a PM conversation about a couple of titles. I am, and so is my pal Gameseven. G-7 and I just recently got together with a couple of other friends to play Shadows Over Camelot, a collaborative game that I liked a lot!

http://www.shadowsovercamelot.com/

If you liked Guillotine, (and card games in general) I *STRONGLY* recommend Bohnanza:

http://www.riograndegames.com/games/rio155.html

I'm also a big Twilight Imperium fan, but that is more complex than the other games you have mentioned.

Gurantsu · Post by **Gurantsu** » Wed Jan 18, 2006 11:51 am

Yeah, I am a HUGE boardgame fan, been collecting them since junior high. I have hundreds of them from all different genres; war, fantasy, sci-fi, family, racing... Wow, come to think of it no wonder my wife gives me funny looks when a new box arrives at the door.

It all depends on the type of game you are looking for, and what the group of guys you'll be playing with like. Currently on my table is Descent: Journeys in the Dark, which is a dungeon-crawl game like the old Heroscape, but with lots of cool options for the "Dungeon Master" to mess with the other players. It can take a while to play, depending on the scenario and the players experience.

Sci-fi wise, if you guys want a good laugh, pick up Ulitimate Sucking Vacuum, which I think can be bought for around $12. Basically you have a space station that is losing oxygen, cats as weapons, and an escape pod with only 2 seats in it (and you need 2 people to use the pod). So it's is mostly "screw your buddy", until you need a friend to help get into the pod. Nothing like snagging the oxygen mask off your near-unconsious buddy after you clobbered him in the noggin with a can of soda.

I'm also waiting for my copy of Federation Commander to arrive tomorrow, which is a streamlined version of Star Fleet Battles (in the Star Trek universe). It's been getting some pretty good reviews.

We've also had a lot of fun with Battlestations, with is a mix of a boardgame and RPG in space, and is a complete blast and a very well thought out game. Lots of fun with the right crowd.

Anyway, is there a particular type of game you guys are looking at?

Danimal · Post by **Danimal** » Wed Jan 18, 2006 12:03 pm

Railroad Tycoon is fun as we have discussed.

Primordial Soup is a fun game, any game where your floating in the nether and craping and eating other peopls crap is right up my alley...kidding aside it is a fun game.

I'll suggest again Return of Heros over Runebound.

I enjoy Bootleggers a lot, but it seems to get mixed reviews.

Amun Re is a fun game that plays fast if you like bidding / resource games.

There are so many games out there, depends on what you're looking for.

Bill_Abner · Post by **Bill_Abner** » Wed Jan 18, 2006 12:13 pm

Thanks guys.

As for what I'm looking for, I'm really not sure. I'm trying to please 2 very different sets of people here.

First, my wife. She's looking for more stuff to do together that doesn't involve a movie theater, Blockbuster, or the computer. I suggested a boardgame and she's all for it, but she's by no means a hardline gamer, so thats's sort of what I'm getting Guillotine for. Easy to play, quick to finish, but fun enough for me as a serious gamer. I'm up for more ideas though as Guillotine will only last for so long. Card games might be the way to go here, I'm not sure. I do not think a combat heavy boardgame will work with her.

My gaming group (3 sometimes 4 people. me included) is full of more serious gamers. However, we're all married and can only meet once every 2 weeks so we don't want a game that we cannot finish in one session, which usually lasts 4-5 hours. We're all huge fans of games like Talisman, Fury of Dracula, Settlers, etc. We've been playing Pirate's Cove and are sort of lukewarm to it.

I'm thinking abut Railroad Tycoon, which Dan suggested. But again I am open to pretty much anything.

webdanzer · Post by **webdanzer** » Wed Jan 18, 2006 2:02 pm

Bohnanza is a good bridge to the gap between gamers and non gamers. I've played with people in both camps, and it goes over well on both sides. It's defintely deeper than Guillotine, too. More discussion, negotiation, etc.

Leebo33 · Post by **Leebo33** » Wed Jan 18, 2006 2:11 pm

webdanzer wrote:Bohnanza is a good bridge to the gap between gamers and non gamers.

Where can I buy it? Online only?

webdanzer · Post by **webdanzer** » Wed Jan 18, 2006 2:24 pm

It's definitely available online, at Amazon.com and elsewhere, but you may be able to find it in Brick and Mortar stores too. I got mine at a mall shop some time ago, and I know retailers like the defunct Wizards of the Coast stores used to carry them.

Basically, if you know of a specialty 'board game store' in your area, chances are decent that they carry it.

EDIT: Amazon says it is available from Toys R Us.

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/st ... 53-9468667

Gurantsu · Post by **Gurantsu** » Wed Jan 18, 2006 2:42 pm

Card game wise you could look at Formula Motor Racing. It is pretty fun, you play cards to adjust the position of the cars. After 3 races you tally up the points. My wife has played this one and enjoyed it.
http://www.boardgamegeek.com/image/94494

Another card game that she has played is Ivanhoe. It's definitely abstract, but fun nonetheless.
http://www.boardgamegeek.com/image/100126

My main places to buy games are all online:
www.thoughthammer.com
www.bouldergames.com
www.nobleknight.com

I've had great service from all of them.

Bill_Abner · Post by **Bill_Abner** » Wed Jan 18, 2006 4:29 pm

Thanks a ton guys. I really appreciate it. Ivanhoe looks very interesting.

Bill_Abner · Post by **Bill_Abner** » Wed Jan 18, 2006 4:41 pm

Wow Ivanhoe looks really tough to find. I assume this is out of print?

Gurantsu · Post by **Gurantsu** » Wed Jan 18, 2006 11:18 pm

I didn't realize it was out of print. I checked a few other places and no luck! However, there are 14 people listed on Boardgamegeek who want to trade their copy for something, so you might want to check that out.

Bill_Abner · Post by **Bill_Abner** » Wed Jan 18, 2006 11:31 pm

Thanks for all of the advice guys. Went to my local hobby store today and they had a huge sale and I grabbed Ticket to Ride for $15. Seemed like a very good "intro" game for my wife. We played a few games tonight and it was a big hit. Easy to play, but still a lot of fun.

Danimal · Post by **Danimal** » Thu Jan 19, 2006 2:24 am

Bill_Abner wrote:Thanks for all of the advice guys. Went to my local hobby store today and they had a huge sale and I grabbed Ticket to Ride for $15. Seemed like a very good "intro" game for my wife. We played a few games tonight and it was a big hit. Easy to play, but still a lot of fun.

Ticket to Ride is nick named "the spouse game" in my club. It is fun, easy to learn and for some reason all the wives love it. They have an online version, some guys wife has like 2000 online games completed.

I tend to buy my stuff from Fair Play Games online, they have good prices and free hipping on orders over $100.

Gurantsu · Post by **Gurantsu** » Thu Jan 19, 2006 9:42 am

Danimal wrote:I tend to buy my stuff from Fair Play Games online, they have good prices and free hipping on orders over $100.

And as boardgamers know, $100 is an easy mark to hit when buying new games!

GameSeven · Post by **GameSeven** » Thu Jan 19, 2006 1:39 pm

Danimal wrote:I tend to buy my stuff from Fair Play Games online, they have good prices and free hipping on orders over $100.

I might also recommend thoughthammer.com

Next three on my hit list are likely to be:

WoW:the Boardgame
Fury of Dracula (redesign/reprint due in February)
Mall of Horrors (web, hadn't mentioned this one to you but am sort of digging this)

Bill,
Great call on TTR. All my gaming-lite friends and family have enjoyed this one immensely.

-G7

Bill_Abner · Post by **Bill_Abner** » Thu Jan 19, 2006 2:16 pm

GameSeven wrote:
Danimal wrote:I tend to buy my stuff from Fair Play Games online, they have good prices and free hipping on orders over $100.
Bill,
Great call on TTR. All my gaming-lite friends and family have enjoyed this one immensely.

-G7

Yeah I think I got a winner there. My wife really enjoyed the two games we played. Dan's right, too, it's a great spouse game.

Fury of Dracula is fantastic.

I have Shadows over Camelot and Railroad Tycoon on my 'get' list and if I can ever manage to locate a copy of Ivanhoe, which is proving to me extremely difficult. Dan, I'm also reading some great stuff about that Parthenon game you mentioned. That good, eh? Will that work as a 2 player game or is it better with more?

sportdan30 · Post by **sportdan30** » Thu Jan 19, 2006 4:14 pm

Bill, thanks for starting this thread. Danimal, Gurantsu, and G-7, thank you for your wonderful suggestions.

The wife and I are in a rut whereas after we put the kids to bed, she or I usually watch whatever we recorded on Tivo, or I'll hop on the computer or play the 360. We desperately need to mix things up a bit and have a bit more bonding besides just watching tv together. When I look back in 20 or 30 years, I don't want to think our lives always consisted of the same ol' same ol'.

I'm definitely going to purchase Bohnanza this weekend and perhaps TTR as well. Any other suggestions you have would be appreciated. It's a shame you no longer see commercial advertisements for board games anymore.

webdanzer · Post by **webdanzer** » Thu Jan 19, 2006 4:19 pm

Webdanzer gets no love from sportsdan.

Seriously, I think you'll love Bohnanza. The bidding and bargaining that goes on is a blast.

sportdan30 · Post by **sportdan30** » Thu Jan 19, 2006 4:25 pm

webdanzer wrote:Webdanzer gets no love from sportsdan.

Seriously, I think you'll love Bohnanza. The bidding and bargaining that goes on is a blast.

Ah, there's plenty of love to go around Web. An oversight indeed. Actually, I should thank you as well because you're the one who pointed out where I can find Bohnanza. We have a TRU two minutes from our house, and a mall 5 minutues away with a brand new game store called Go Games. I'm sure either one of those places carry it.

Danimal · Post by **Danimal** » Fri Jan 20, 2006 10:23 am

G7 - I picked up Wow a few weeks ago and have played twice. I think it is pretty good, although it plays best with 4+ players.

Bill - Parthenon is a good game, I don't consider it great. But I never turn down a game when offered. I think it plays 2 - 6, I've only played with 3 or 4. I couldn't imagine playing with 6 people it would take forever, I think it would play well as a 2.

Danimal · Post by **Danimal** » Fri Jan 20, 2006 12:53 pm

Bill - You bought runebound

Just kidding man, maybe you will love it. At my game group everyone loves this game tigers & eupratyes and I can't stand it.

Shadows of Camelot is a Co-op game, but it also has n optional rule for one player to be a spy or something.

another one along those lines which i am sure I can't spell is Arkham Horror, I have not hd the chance to play it yet, but it sure gets played a lot at gaming night.

Bill_Abner · Post by **Bill_Abner** » Fri Jan 20, 2006 1:42 pm

Danimal wrote:Bill - You bought runebound

Just kidding man, maybe you will love it. At my game group everyone loves this game tigers & eupratyes and I can't stand it.

Shadows of Camelot is a Co-op game, but it also has n optional rule for one player to be a spy or something.

another one along those lines which i am sure I can't spell is Arkham Horror, I have not hd the chance to play it yet, but it sure gets played a lot at gaming night.

Yeah I liked the description of Runebound at BGG...it, and its add-ons, were on sale, it has a pretty box...and I'm a sucker for a pretty box.

XXXIV · Post by **XXXIV** » Fri Jan 20, 2006 1:58 pm

Bill_Abner wrote: it has a pretty box...and I'm a sucker for a pretty box.

I hear that...

Post by **Jared** » Fri Jan 20, 2006 4:39 pm

Bill,

I've played Carcassone. Easy to learn, fun to play. And I've heard great things about Ticket to Ride...but it looks like you've got that one.

Also, here is someone's list of the top 100 board games of all time. It's got lots of really solid games on there:

http://fluffysnoop.blogspot.com/2005/11 ... ilada.html